BMW E46 M3 Lemans/Cinnamon

[Frode D]

After selling the E92 335i I planned to either buy an E92 M3 or an F36 420i, but I found this M3 nearby and had to check it out. It is fair to say I made up my mind pretty fast after the test drive. This car gives me so much more "bang for the buck" compared to the other options. (car taxes are through the roof in Norway).

The car is originally a 99 320i with a complete conversion to an 02 M3. The main reason for this is as mentioned above, taxes. An Italian M3 was imported and everything was moved over to the Norwegian chassie.

Short info about the car:
- 103.000km
- Lemans Blue paint
- Cinnamon interior
- SMG II
- Milltek exhaust
- Bilstein coilovers (need replacement as they don't go nearly low enough)
- A few carbon exterior parts

First off I'm going to do some maintenance and fix a few bugs. I'm not 100% settled with my plans but at least it will need some more lowering and new wheels. Currently waiting on new lips for my ACS type 2, so they will be here sometime in the near future.

A few pics:

[fpsthomas]

Good choice, looks sick already!

[TrymMidthus]

What a beauty! Ser virkelig frem til å følge med på oppdateringer fremover

[C2_mad]

love it... now get on with it....lol

[Frode D]

Good choice, looks sick already!

What a beauty! Ser virkelig frem til å følge med på oppdateringer fremover

Thanks guys!

-

I have done a few things...

Ordered a new termostat + o-ringer, jack pad and one isofix-cover for the rear seat.

I had to check how dirty the seats were, and this 50/50 test resulted in a complete clean and full treatment with protection cream.



Also there is some glue on the door card that needs to be sanded down and re-dyed, or change the whole thing out.



In action:


50/50:


Passenger seat done, driver seat still sparkling from dirt and fat.


Before:


After:


Done:


Also removed the front lip, didn't like the fins on the side and of course the huge license plate frame:


The M3 logo was a fake one which I didn't like, so it had to go:




Waiting for a response from Broadway Static so I can get it a lot lower

[LCG]

subscribed for some Frodeing..

So the car is a regular 3 series for Norway gov?

[Frode D]

subscribed for some Frodeing..

So the car is a regular 3 series for Norway gov?

Thanks!

Yes and no. The registration will always say 320i because of the original VIN, but we have a section in the registration papers with notes for approval of modifications. Everything not original has to be approved by the Norwegian "DMV". Mine has the engine, drivetrain, exhaust and coilovers included in this section.

My insurance is for an M3 though, if I insured it as a 320i and totaled the car I would only get the value of a 320i.

[becausephilchow]

Thanks!

Yes and no. The registration will always say 320i because of the original VIN, but we have a section in the registration papers with notes for approval of modifications. Everything not original has to be approved by the Norwegian "DMV". Mine has the engine, drivetrain, exhaust and coilovers included in this section.

My insurance is for an M3 though, if I insured it as a 320i and totaled the car I would only get the value of a 320i.

Interesting!

[Nixxon]

Or nothing. In my country if they find out you have unlicensed mods and the car is in an accident, the insurance company will not pay you anything. They'll say that the car was unfit for public roads because the mods were not listed. You know, because they are an insurance company.

[kristianbolster]

really really great looking car!

[Frode D]

Interesting!

Or nothing. In my country if they find out you have unlicensed mods and the car is in an accident, the insurance company will not pay you anything. They'll say that the car was unfit for public roads because the mods were not listed. You know, because they are an insurance company.

Might be, but all the mods on this car is licensed and approved. Nothing to worry about as my insurance is for an M3. I discussed this with my insurance company to get things right.

really really great looking car!

Thank you!

[C2_mad]

those seats are nice man, would love them in my car....regret not having done mine in that colour or oxblood when i retrimed mine last year...

[Frode D]

those seats are nice man, would love them in my car....regret not having done mine in that colour or oxblood when i retrimed mine last year...

Thank you! Which color did you end up with?

-

A little maintenance update..

After I bought the car the car got into limp mode a few times along with the DSC-light. Pulled the codes and found 76,77,78,79 and E6. After some googling I found out this usually is one of the Throttle position sensors or the gas pedal. So I went ahead and bought a new one, replaced the front one:


Cleaned the MAF sensor as well:


Also I wanted to do some maintenance while I was at it. This was a big mistake... As I should have tested if the sensor solved my problems before removing the intake. This resulted in 4 days for problems. The plan was to remove the intake manifold and clean the throttle bodies. The SMG has a oil reservoir on the side of the intake, which is a pain in the ass...

Intake removed:


Not a good sign:


Damn..


After a few hours and 10 sore fingers:


Cleaned the ICV as well:


After a while I got everything installed again and hoped everything would be smooth and nice:


Nope. even worse. Every time I hit the accellerator it went straight to limp mode. So I figured it had to be the TPS sensor under the intake. Started to remove the intake manifold again and realized one of the drain hoses from the intake was unplugged. Hoped this was the reason, but changed the TPS as well so I didn't have to remove the intake again. Result, still the same.
At this time I figured it had to be the gas pedal as I had changed both sensors and no luck. Went back inside to google how to remove it and look for errors, and by a coinsidence I read that the clamps on the intake manifold could block the actuator if installed wrong. I knew I had installed them with another rotation than before, and sure, they were blocking the actuator. Reinstalled them and went for a test drive and the car runs smooth as ever with no more limp mode. Took me couple of days to figure out but I learned a lot during the process.

Also did a mod to the trunk shocks to make the trunk pop open when pressing the key.

Check the video:

https://vimeo.com/184539611

[C2_mad]

i have the sport seats, covered them in black with perforated centres and french seems. it looks good, but no pop. its the safe option.lol

love the trunk mod, been meaning to do it to mine for over a year now....

i have a dirty diesel 320d though. so nothing compared to your beast...

as always, love your work and cars.

[C2_mad]

ps: where did you get the spring from?